The All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) on Wednesday criticized the BJP-led Assam government for its ongoing eviction drive against illegal encroachers in various parts of the state. The party claimed that the government has conducted evictions in revenue villages and targeted Myadi land patta holders.
AIUDF MLA Rafiqul Islam, stated that if necessary, the party would consider taking legal action against the eviction drive. He also alleged that the recent evictions in Goalpara district and the Sonapur Kachutali area in the Kamrup (Metro) district were conducted in violation of a High Court order.
"Bandarmatha in Goalpara district is a revenue village. But the government evicted several families from this village. Apart from this, the government also evicted Myadi land patta holder families at Sonapur Kachutali area, which is a tribal belt and block area. The government has violated the High Court order as the High Court had ordered the government not to conduct an eviction drive at Kachutali area till September 30. Our party president and president of Assam Jamiyat Badruddin Ajmal and other leaders submitted a memorandum to the Assam Governor," stated Rafiqul Islam
He further reiterated that the AIUDF is prepared to challenge the government's actions in court if necessary.
On September 24, nearly 450 families who had illegally settled in the Bandarmatha Forest area were evicted by the Goalpara district administration. A senior official from Goalpara district noted that Bandarmatha is a forest area and that encroachment on forest land has exacerbated human-elephant conflict in the region. "After the eviction drive, it will bring down the Human-Elephant Conflict to a great extent," the official commented.
In a related incident at Sonapur's Kachutali, during the eviction drive, violence erupted, resulting in the deaths of two individuals and injuries to seven others in police firing. Additionally, 22 police personnel and one Revenue Circle Officer were injured when a mob of around 1,000 people attacked the on-duty police personnel and government officials during the eviction process.
